Thriller movies keep us on the edge of our seats. They excite us, cause sensations, and tingles our bones. We frame ourselves to be a part of the scene and there is an all-time adrenaline rush. The best Tamil thriller movies have all these ingredients and that is what makes the industry known. Thriller movies are also known as suspense movies and are an amalgamation of rush-evoking emotions. Pre Pandemic, the theatres always had elevated voices full of excitement and exuberance while a thriller movie was being played. Presenting the TAMIL THRILLER MOVIES | BEST TAMIL THRILLER MOVIES: 2017-19.

While these movies are heart-pounding and adrenaline-inducing the making of these movies is rather mechanical. The background score and the suspenseful editing are what make these movies interesting to watch. Suspense movies are different from horror movies. however, a lot of filmmakers add a pinch of ghost stories and horror-like feels to the thriller movies to make it even more interesting.

Thriller movies have developed a special spot in India. The Indian Audiences love watching these movies and often feel enraptured and captivated by the story and screenplay. The Tamil film industry is known for its Best Tamil Thriller movies. Here’s a list of the best Tamil thriller movies of all time which are loved by the audience. 


THIRUTTU PAYALE 2 | BEST TAMIL THRILLER MOVIES 2017

Thiruttu Payale 2 | Best Tamil Thriller Movies 2017
Thiruttu Payale 2 | Best Tamil Thriller Movies 2017

This one from the list of Tamil thriller movies 2017 is a must-watch for all those who love watching crime thrillers. 

PLOT | BEST TAMIL THRILLER MOVIES 2017

Selvam is a young and budding police officer who is transferred from one police station to another because his ideology is different than that of his superiors. He believes in honesty and sincerity in his work and law. After his transfer, he rents a room in the same building as a college student named Agalya. The two soon fall in love and get married. He then gets transferred to Chennai; his hometown.

Because of his clean reputation, he is assigned the duty of tracking the phone calls of VIPs. He exposes several scandals. Despite this, he is never rewarded for his honesty and duty. Amidst this tapping and tracking, Sevlam unfolds the truth of an engineer named Balki and sets up an operation to catch him. What unfolds after this leaves Sevlam penniless and he later finds out the truth behind all this. 

REVIEW | BEST TAMIL THRILLER MOVIES 2017

The film received a great amount of appreciation for its story and screenplay. This one from Tamil Thriller movies 2017 was however criticized for its pace. The plot is found to be intriguing and was loved by the audience. The film wishes to convey that all human beings lie or pretend. The premise grabbed the attention of the viewers.


URU | TAMIL THRILLER MOVIES 2017

This one from the list of Tamil thriller movies 2017 is a must-watch for all those who love watching psychological thrillers. 

PLOT | BEST TAMIL THRILLER MOVIES 2017

The story revolves around Jeevan, who is a famous and celebrated writer. He is all set to write a thriller but is stressed as his other stories have become outdated and have lost the magic. He then visits a beautiful hill station where his life gets entwined with some horrific and frightful incidents. These events in turn affect him and his profession. 

The filmmaking style is said to be inspired by the legendary filmmaker Quentin Tarantino. 

REVIEWS | BEST TAMIL THRILLER MOVIES 2017 

This one from the list of Tamil thriller movies 2017 is well received by the audience. It is about a formerly successful writer, who writes fictional stories. He becomes a chain smoker due to the stress of writing well. His wife, Jennie, fears that her marriage will fail due to the stress. Jennie begs him to give up writing and take up a regular 9 to 5 job. Jeevan asks for a two-month time, to complete his book. Jennie is a beautiful character as she is the one who drives the film on her shoulders. She is the caring and pragmatic one. She is a very real and relatable character. 

Uru has many edge-of-the-seat moments and is an amazing movie. It is unique in terms of not portraying the common ghosts and flashbacks. The climax of the film keeps the audience hooked to the screens. Uru is thus a movie that will make the audience leave the theatre with a lot of things to think about. 

U-TURN | TAMIL THRILLER MOVIES 2018

U-Turn | Best Tamil Thriller Movies 2018
U-Turn | Best Tamil Thriller Movies 2018

This one from the list of Tamil thriller movies 2018 is a must-watch for all those who love watching mystery thrillers.

PLOT | BEST TAMIL THRILLER MOVIES 2018

The movie revolves around the story of Rachna who is interning at the Times of India and is working on an article surrounding the incidents of a flyover. She sees some drivers who shift the partition blocks to take a quick U-turn and avoid the longer route. 

She later confronts these people who take the shortcut. She is arrested by the police. What comes next is a tantalizing journey of Rachna and Nayak. With ghosts and other surprising elements, the story takes a mysterious turn and ends with a shocking climax.

REVIEWS | BEST TAMIL THRILLER MOVIES 2018

The unpredictable nature of this amusing mystery thriller is its Unique Selling Point. This one from the list of Tamil thriller movies 2018 is a masterpiece in terms of the setting and story. While the story is not relatable or believable in some parts it still succeeds in convincing the audience. The supernatural element leaves a great impact on the audience.

The actors embody the characters and deliver a brilliant performance. The story starts as a normal drama movie but takes a very unexpected and unpredictable turn as a mysterious thriller. There is a repetition of dialogues and words but the movie is overall convincing. 

IMAIKKAA NODIGAL | TAMIL THRILLER MOVIES 2018

This one from the list of Tamil thriller movies 2018 is a must-watch for all those who love psychological action thrillers. 

PLOT | BEST TAMIL THRILLER MOVIES 2018

The story revolves around the life of a CBI inspector who goes on a spree to hunt down a serial killer. The serial killer causes a lot of chaos and disturbance in society. As the story progresses, the family of the CBI officer becomes a target for the killer. With all the mess and killing, in the end, the family finds its peace. 

REVIEWS | BEST TAMIL THRILLER MOVIES 2018

This one from the list of Tamil thriller movies 2018 is well received by the audience. This film is an amalgamation of thrill and action. There are a lot of scenes filled with thrill, suspense, action, and a lot of emotions. The story progresses quickly, with the central theme being revealed right in the beginning. The film however does not bore the audience. The portrayal of the psycho killer is really exciting and scary. There is a constant cat and mouse element between Anjali and Rudra, which amuses the audience. The love story between Arjun and Krithika is also very interesting and gives the audience a break from all the action and thrill. 

The film is a complete package of all the emotions and actions. The story moves ahead quite well as it unfolds the mystery. The sound and editing aid the movie in multiple ways. The film does not deviate from its plot and provides wholesome thrill and entertainment to the audience. The best part of the film is its cinematography. 

KOLAIGARAN | TAMIL THRILLER MOVIES 2019


This one from the list of Tamil thriller movies 2019 is a must-watch for all those who love watching action thrillers. 

PLOT | BEST TAMIL THRILLER MOVIES 2019

The movie revolves around and begins with a murder of a very mysterious lady who is killed by an unknown murderer. In the next scene, Prabhakaran is seen surrendering to the police. This tale is a very mysterious and intriguing story about a murder and the probable killer.

The police are engaged in finding out who the real killer is. 

REVIEWS | BEST TAMIL THRILLER MOVIES 2019

The story has as its opening scene a gruesome murder of a woman. The story runs in flashback as well as in the present day. A police inspector determines the progress of the story with a very thrilling and engaging investigation. There are three probable killers. The story does a great job of setting up the mystique and intrigue behind the truth. The mystery is unfolded in a very heart-pounding manner. The eeriness of the story is maintained till the very end.

Till the climax, the audience s left confused about the unknown reality. The true identity of the killer is a well-kept secret. The way the murders are investigated and the story is narrated makes all the watchers feel involved. The end and the real murderer leave the audience shocked and convinced at the same time. This is the best feature of a thriller film. 

ARUVAM | TAMIL THRILLER MOVIES 2019

Aruvam | Best Tamil Thriller Movies 2019
Aruvam | Best Tamil Thriller Movies 2019

This one from the list of Tamil thriller movies 2019 is a must-watch for all those who love watching horror thrillers with a supernatural element.

PLOT | BEST TAMIL THRILLER MOVIES 2019

The premise of the story revolves around Jyothi who is a primary school teacher. She lacks the sense of smell. She has a complex about her disorder and tries to do her best by caring for the needy and helpless. She feels guilty and thinks that her mother died because of her. The event of her mother’s death led to a transformation in her character. 

Midway in the story, Jagannathan is introduced. Jagan falls in love with Jyothi at first sight. He proposes his love for Jyothi. Jagan was a food safety inspector, he protests hard against the adulteration of food. He closes the food outlets that provide foul food. He has a very strong sense of smell. He makes many enemies in the way of doing good for the community.

He also forms enemies within the food safety department. He falls weak in front of all the animosity and decides to take his life. He falls from a Banyan tree and his soul enters Jyothi’s body. Later, Jyothi, with Jagan within her soul decides to take revenge against those who did wrong to Jagan. 

REVIEWS | BEST TAMIL THRILLER MOVIES 2019

This tantalizing story of a caring and loving woman inhabited by a ghost is a great thriller to watch. While the story has many loopholes in terms of scripting. The actors make the movie watch-worthy. The character of Jyothi is very pure and divine. She has a beautiful heart. Jagan falls in love with her heart and her soul. He becomes a part of her. Jagan himself is a brilliant character who is clean and has a lot of dignity. He is eventually shown as failing. 

While not all aspects of the characterization are linked to the story. The story is good in terms of the premise that it takes in but fails to imagine the wider picture. Actor Siddharth has been a part of almost 3 ghost films and has delivered a very nice performance. 

The film turns out to be a revenge drama combined with a horror thriller. The film is good for a one-time watch. 

THE FINAL WORD

The Tamil thriller movies have had a huge impact on the audience. The list is very long. While the Tamil cinema has now expanded to make a variety of movies in a whole new range of genres, thrillers remain the unique selling point of the industry. While the industry has grown in terms of types or genres, it has also expanded in terms of quality. The improved acting skills, cinematography, editing, direction, screenplay writing, and story premise. All these ingredients which are vital for making a movie have not only developed or increased but have also improved. 

The actors and the action sequences of the south Indian films are known for overdoing the part. however, for the movies mentioned above action sequences and acting was performed according to the required amount. 

Thriller movies remain an essential part of Indian Cinema and World Cinema. The movies keep us on edge and sometimes leave us wondering about the events that took place within the dimensions of the camera.